This three ingredient buttermilk biscuit recipe will absolutely change your biscuit-making life. It is one of those essential biscuit recipes that every cook should have available in their recipe box or, better yet, memorize if at all possible.
This recipe yields perfect, flaky, and delicious buttermilk biscuits every single time you make them and no one will ever believe you if you tried to tell them how easy they are to make.
Now, while I’m going on and on about how easy they are to make, the ingredients are what really make the magic happen. You will not get the same results if you change the ingredients, in my opinion. So, let’s talk about them for just a sec.
It all begins with the flour.
For my biscuits, I use White Lily® flour. Made of soft winter wheat, White Lily® flour is a fine, silky flour that yields a very soft and tender biscuit. My grandmother swore by White Lily® for her biscuits, pies, cakes and well… everything. I’ll admit there was a time in my life that I thought I knew a whole lot more about things than my mother and grandmother. Let me just cut to the chase. Flour ended up not being one of those things.
Then, cut in the shortening.
The second ingredient for this magical three ingredient buttermilk biscuit recipe is shortening.
Shortening lends moisture and flakiness to these buttermilk biscuits that other ingredients just doesn’t provide. While I love butter as much as the next girl, you just won’t get the same results in these biscuits by replacing the shortening with butter.
You’ll cut your shortening into your flour using a pastry blender, two forks or even two knives until the flour and shortening mixture looks like it is coarse meal.
And finally, add the buttermilk.
This is the reason these biscuits are named buttermilk biscuits, after all. My Grandmother always taught me to take special care to stir the buttermilk into the flour mixture very gently when making biscuits. Otherwise, if you overmix your biscuit dough, the result will be tough, dry biscuits and not fluffy, light, and delicious biscuits that we all love.
I then pop my biscuits into a super hot oven, which allows them to quickly rise and turn a beautiful golden brown in just a few minutes. Just look at those flakey layers!
Here’s the Three Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuit recipe that is definitely one of those essential recipes I turn to time and again.
- 2 cups self-rising flour + more for flouring board and cutter
- ¼ cup vegetable shortening + more for greasing pan
- ¾ cup buttermik
- Preheat oven to 475º F. Lightly coat rimmed baking sheet or cast iron skillet with vegetable shortening. Set aside.
- Add flour to a large mixing bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender, two forks, or knives until well-combined. Slowly pour in buttermilk and stir gently until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour biscuit dough onto a floured pastry cloth, paper towels, or dough board. Gently pat or roll to about ½-inch thick. Cut out biscuits using about a 2-inch biscuit cutter. Place biscuits into skillet or on baking sheet pan, leaving about an inch between biscuits to allow them to rise and cook fully. Place in preheated oven and bake about 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.
Note: If you live in an area where White Lily® flour is not sold by your grocer, it is available online for purchase through such companies as Amazon. Here is a link to White Lily® Self-Rising flour and for White Lily® All-Purpose flour (which I use as my all-purpose flour).
Disclosure: I’m excited to be working with White Lily® flour and, with them, I’m on a mission to #SavetheBiscuit.
Have made this twice and both of them bombed! First ones tasted good but look bad in the second one’s looked and tasted bad I followed the directions maybe I didn’t makes it enough do I need to brush the top of butter anything what makes them turn brown? I want to try them again but I hate to waste all these ingredients. I know it doesn’t take a lot and it’s trial and error but I keep seeing this 3 ingredient biscuits everywhere and I cannot do it for some reason.
Hi Laurie –
It really is simple, but it does take practice. Hope you enjoy them! Thanks!
Hi Robyn! After pre-heating the oven do you turn the oven off once the biscuits go in for baking? I did not and my biscuits were scorched! By the way, this is the only one of your recipes that did not work for me; I faithfully turn to your website for all of my baking needs!
Hi Cara!
Oh NO! That’s so frustrating! I don’t turn the oven off after preheating and my biscuits cook about 10 – 12 minutes at that temperature. Were they scorched on the bottom or the top? The reason I ask this is to see if the oven rack might have been positioned a bit too low or too high. Also, are you in an area that would need to make adjustments due to altitude? Hopefully, together, we can crack the code as to what went wrong for you! xo
Thank you Robyn!!! I’ve tried a dozen different biscuit recipes I’ve found on Pinterest, and finally here is one that is easy AND really good! They are so easy and turned out perfect. I did brush extra melted shortening on the top for browning. They turned out a little crispy on the outside and tender and soft on the inside. Perfect!
I’m so glad you loved them, Sue! xo
I use butter Crisco to cut into the flour. You get the benefits of lard but with a butter taste throughout the biscuit.
What changes would I need to make to this recipe at higher altitudes? I’m originally from Alabama and live in Colorado and this is exactly how my grandma made biscuits, except she pinched the dough and rolled it by hand. Anyways, I miss biscuits. No one here knows how to make them like rhis.
Hi Kim,
I’m not sure of the adjustments needed as I’ve not baked them at high altitude. I hope you enjoy them! Nothing like some delicious southern biscuits and I’m sure you have great memories of your grandmother’s biscuits! Thanks!
Hi Kim,
In responce to your high altitude concerns, I would check with Colorado’s extension services. You will find them in the phone book or on you telephone information 411.
If all else fails.any state University. They can at least direct you to someone who can help you. Also just simply Google it on the computer.
Thanks so much for adding this helpful information, Cheryl! xo
This recipe brings back fond memories for me of a beloved Aunt! Ga girls here! Anyway my question is in your instructions you say to rise and cook. How long do you let them rise? Thanks for your time!! Renata
Hi Renata,
Glad to hear from another Georgia girl! You just leave the space between the biscuits like I give in the instructions, which will allow the biscuits to rise and be fluffy and delicious after baking. You just prepare them according to the recipe and then bake them.
I hope you enjoy! Thanks! xo
I’ve made this recipe 4 or 5 times now and they are just like my grandma’s biscuits. I commented earlier with a question about altitude since I live in Colorado. The answer is: no change to the recipe is needed at 4k-5k feet! The only thing I do different is I leave them in the oven for an extra 3 minutes. 12 minutes still left them white on top. That extra time gives them a little more brown. This recipe is perfect otherwise. Thank you so much for sharing it! I’ve missed my grandma’s biscuits. 🙂